Thursday, February 16, 2012

Ninety days in Berlin.

It's been ninety days since Ben left Tassie and headed to Berlin. With no appointments organised and no accommodation booked it was a bold (and slightly desperate) move. As the days passed and with the help and kindness of people like Ms Fabienne Kurzke (the Helios coordinator), staff at Pension Geissler, Anna (friend and nurse from Freiburg), Ms Tatjana Buchmueller (accounts person at Helios Berlin Buch), Mrs Bettina Warmbrunn (person in charge of Campus Buch), Dr Hagemann (neurologist), Dr Schromm (ENT surgeon Bad-Saarow), Dr Till Rathert (ENT specialist Berlin Buch) and others, Ben's health and wellbeing has improved. No "quick fix" was possible but definite progress has been made and symptoms can be adequately managed.

Ben's mate, Rob from Weldborough says, in his usual forthright manner, it's not the place where you are but the people who matter most. Sincere thanks to all those mentioned above. Special thanks: to Fabienne for patiently answering so many emails, organising accommodation and helping with the visa extension; to Mrs Warmbrunn for printing documents and delivering messages so promptly; to Anna for travelling all the way to visit Ben in Berlin and, later in Freiburg, helping out when he was hit hard by serious side-effects of new medication; to Dr Hagemann for his professional help and supporting the tall Aussie patient who'd just turn up at his office from time to time; and to Dr Rathert for the warm conversations and advice. Ben could, I'm sure, add more to the list.

Finally, it's not over till it's over! There are forty five more days till our patient traveller returns to Tas. Here's hoping that health issues can quietly slip into the background and life can get back to normal, whatever that is.